T.F.M. Spotting - "Fun Hogs" Weekend

A few weeks ago Joel Thompson sent an email with photos of his weekend at their Montana cabin. As winter is saying it's last goodbye and spring is waking up, I thought it would be fitting that this should post over the weekend.

"Every winter we get together sometime in February and do a long weekend up at the cabin. We call ourselves the "Fun Hogs" because we hog all the fun from the rest of the world during that weekend."


"There are four of us that are regulars to the trip...my twin brother John, his buddy from Oregon Bryan Scholz, my college roommate Pat Roosa, and of course myself. We often have others join us but the four of us are ALWAYS there. We snowmobile in on Friday afternoon and spend the rest of the day unpacking food and gear and getting the cabin warmed up. A couple of years ago it was five below zero when we got up there and it took a long time to get the cabin warm! Once the fire is going strong and all our stuff is put away, we will jump on the snowmobiles and head out on the ice to find the spot we want to fish. We will drill a couple of holes and maybe wet a line depending on the time of day. If it is late we usually just play around on the sleds a little bit and then head back to the cabin for some adult beverages and a good cabin cooked meal."


"Saturday night we have a big bonfire from the debris that we clean up around the cabin each year. We sit around the fire drinking good booze ("Fun Hog" Rule - NO BAD BOOZE ALLOWED!) and reflect on the day and tell lies. There are always a lot of laughs around the fire and it can be quite comical seeing our footprints back up to the cabin. Not a lot of straight lines if you know what I mean!"


"Sunday is almost always a low key day spent ice fishing. It is not uncommon to catch a hundred whitefish and twenty or more trout through the ice. It is the one time each year that we catch and keep a few brook trout and enjoy them for dinner. That evening we will play a little liars dice and then have another big fire outside. In years past this could be a big night, but as we get older I am finding it ends by eleven o'clock. It takes a little longer for us to bounce back these days."


"Monday is a day of cleaning and packing up all the gear. We try to do that right after breakfast so we can enjoy the rest of the day. This day is kind of random as well. If the snow is good we will go for a nice snowmobile ride. If it is bad than we may fish. One thing for sure about Monday is that EVERYONE stinks for lack of showers and but no one really wants to leave."

Thanks Joel for the post and I can't imagine a better way to spend a weekend with the fellows.